Public - New York City

Sunday, 7/8/12, 11 am - Nolita

I know it's been a while, but I haven't given up on convincing restaurants to include their restrooms as a part of the dining experience. One place that certainly has taken that into consideration is Public. I can't fully capture the charm of this restroom in the pictures - whimsy mixed with sophistication.  The two identical single-stalls (I was in both) each had a door that looked like it was recycled from a midcentury school building (which I'm guessing is the idea) - frosted half glass with a wood frame and a mail slot.

Inside the room was coated floor to ceiling with iridescent glass titles. The high ceiling allowed for a shelve above the toilet with white vases. At the sink area, the mirror was flush with the wall with paper towels stacked on the side. On the other side of the sink was a case holding columns of mini bars of soap wrapped in Public's logo. Yes there was a full liquid soap dispenser on the sink but being able to slip a small bar of soap in your pocket somehow seems like you're getting away with something. Also feeding into the public school setting, you can grab a No.2 pencil on your way out of the restaurant.


Here's more on Public.

Arbutus - London

Friday, 5/4/12, 6 pm 

I was a big fan of this modern British restaurant in Soho and I was so hoping to enjoy the restroom as well. I wasn't let down:

Sure the huge London mural is a bit on the nose, but as a visitor, I loved the graphic touch. The sinks and counters were minimal like many of the restrooms I visited in the city, but the black counter top definitely made the sinks stand out.

Though it seems the designer got a little tired by the time it came to the side-by-side stalls but they do have full doors, which I am always a fan of.

Here's more on Arbutus.

Maze - London

Maze - London

Thursday, 5/3/12, 7:30 pm

For one of the swankiest restaurants in London, Gordon Ramsay's Maze's bathroom wasn't much to look at.  Maybe going a little too streamlined and modern, this single stall had all the basics but nothing super exciting. Guess we'll have to leave the gimmicks to the gastronomy-driven plate.  

Here's more on Maze. 

Bankers Hill - San Diego

Tuesday, 9/27/11, 6 pm 

After dinner with a friend at this San Diego restaurant, I ducked into the restroom before heading to the airport. While the place is has that rough wood/rustic-wine-bar feel (there's even a fake deer head on the wall), the bathroom felt more like an outhouse than an indoor restroom. All I'll really say is that it's clean. 

While the food at Bankers Hill was definitely yummy, the bathroom left much to be desired.

Café Chloe - San Diego, CA

 

Monday, 9/26/11, 11 am 

I stopped into this cute French cafe for breakfast on a visit to San Diego.  The single-stall restroom definitely fit in with the rest of the place. With warm lighting even in the middle of the day, it was an embrace walking in. The single orchid on the credenza and the simple candles were a great touch. I loved the double mirror which probably made the stall feel larger (not sure if that's a need in a bathroom but when you only have one, it works).  The sand tiles were set off by a metallic chair rail.  Even in this small place, no details was ignored - the paper towels set on a glass table were very high quality.

Here's more on Café Chloe.

Searsucker - San Diego, CA

Sunday, 9/25/11, 11 am 

I had been really wanting to try this restaurant by one of my Top Chef favorite's Brian Malarkey.  Even just trying brunch I wasn't disappointed. Located toward the back of the place, the stalls stood behind simple wooden doors with traditional reading material posted on the walls for those who might have to wait (raving articles about opening night or how the place was setting a trend). 

Nothing exciting about the actual stall but it was clean and I always think a full length door is a better option. 

The sink area offered clean lines with a bit of country charm. It featured two sinks on a marble-wood vanity with chunky round mirrors. I do prefer magic-eye sinks (I never understand why places put magic eye on the toilet but not the sink and vice versa) but maybe it didn't work with the faucets. 
 

Searsucker is in downtown San Diego. 

Kushi - Washington DC

Friday, 7/8/11, 1 pm - Chinatown

I don't know what I was expecting from Kushi but after a lot of hype, I guess I was expecting more from the whole experience. As for the restroom, the two unisex single stalls were understated and subdued. Bathed in black with white porcelain accents, the streamlined room had some extra touches with a flower/plant. The most interesting part of the bathroom for me was the hot and cold handle which moved vertically as opposed to right and left to turn on the water.


What you don't see in this picture is the urinal across from the toilet. Not being male, I see those types of things in a unisex stall as unnecessary, but I'm sure others would beg to differ. Also not pictured, the free standing toilet paper roll holder, which often strikes me in a place that's trying to be informal as they didn't have time to put a holder on the wall.

Here's more on Kushi - no website yet but a tumblr.

Clyde's Tower Oaks Lodge - Rockville, MD

Monday, 7/4/11, 1 pm - Rockville, MD

This restaurant is a part of the Clyde's restaurant group, so I'm not sure if it's technically a Clyde's. And certainly I have never seen a Clyde's like this - talk about grandiose! Set in back of a corporate park, this place had sprawling rooms in hunting lodge style. Some a bit cheese but quite a structure. So I had no idea what to expect for the restroom. But it was quite a nice surprise!

First there was an entry way. A beveled mirror complimented a sitting area which was a nice touch (though not entirely necessary). I'll get to the color in a minute.


Moving into the main section and apropos of the restaurant's size, there were plenty of stalls. Always a big plus in my book. The stalls had slotted wooden doors but the white painted brick (or blocks) added a modern touch. Behind the door was a sturdy purse hook (a must). Nothing special about the toilet.

The best part of the bathroom was the sink area. Welcomed natural light - a rarity in bathrooms -made it one of the brightest rooms in the restaurant. The green walls really worked to give a natural feel to the room along with the plants in the sink area and the wicker baskets for the paper towels (much nicer than wall-mounted paper towel holders) and trash. I was a big fan of the oval mirrors surrounded by sconces. The marble-like counters worked well even with the more rustic touches and while the industrial look of the sink stands might seem odd, I think they were just meant to be minimal and not get in the way. Overall, I was a big fan of this restroom.


Here's more on Tower Oaks Lodge. There are some pictures of the restaurant itself which might offer the big picture.

Oceanaire - Washington DC

Saturday, 7/2/11, 7 pm - Downtown

This wasn't my first visit to Oceanaire but taking a quick look, I guess hadn't posted anything on it before. As the quintessential seafood place, the bathroom is classically designed with the whimsical quote adoring the entry wall.

Clean white tiles covered most of the walls with the classic black subway tile accent. The nice touch in the stalls were individual lights, which didn't really offer much brightness, but I'm not sure what it would be minus the fixture. Good sturdy hook behind the door.

The sole sink in the wash area seemed very formal for the bathroom. A nice pedestal sink might have worked better and not shown off the pipes. Nice that there was still counter space on either side, though I guess that accounts for the stray hairbrush. I'm also a big fan of the mirror. The simple, clean brushed metal works for me (not sure about the more traditional space though).

Here's more on Oceanaire, which is in fact a chain.

Moonstruck - New York City

Saturday, 5/14/11, 11 am - Murray Hill

There are apparently several locations of this diner so not sure if the decor is the same across the board. The bathroom for this location was a little space-ship-y (and, in typical NYC fashion "cozy"). Brushed stainless steel and silver tiles coated most of the walls, with mirrors taking up half of one wall.



















I wasn't able to get a good shot of the light fixture, it was a splash of color in this mostly monotone restroom - one of those fixture with a stainless base that has several colored shades that extend off the base like octopus arms. The sink included a raise stainless bowl with a wall-mounted faucet. The restaurant interior included a lot of mosaics, the colors which weren't followed into the bathroom. Interestingly enough, there was a good sized water fixture - a water wall directly outside the bathroom which just seems like a tease if you're waiting for the single stall.

Moonstruck doesn't have a website but they're on yelp and menupages.